Wilma Rudolph Quotes

Wilma Rudolph was an American track and field athlete. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games. Wilma Rudolph’s life story is one of overcoming incredible odds, and her words of wisdom continue to motivate people today. Her determination and positive attitude led her to become one of the most successful athletes in history. Here are some of the best quotes from Wilma Rudolph that will inspire you to achieve your goals.

  • It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there’s always a way to achieve your goals.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • Down South, there was the old ‘ladies-don’t-do-such-things’ way of thinking. You couldn’t be a lady and a good athlete at the same time.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • Later on in life, I discovered that in order for me to be successful, I had to have a challenge. I can’t do a nine to five job.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I believe in me more than anything in this world.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I was six years old before I realized that there was something wrong with me… But I did have this crooked left leg, and my left foot was turned inward.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • In college, I was an education major and qualified for several jobs. But the fame that came with the Olympic medals was too threatening to many people.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I believe in me more than anything in this world.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I was six years old before I realized that there was something wrong with me… But I did have this crooked left leg, and my left foot was turned inward.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • In college, I was an education major and qualified for several jobs. But the fame that came with the Olympic medals was too threatening to many people.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • When I ran, I felt like a butterfly that was free.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • I don’t know why I run so fast. I just run.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • They would say, ‘If you run around too much as a girl, you’ll never be able to have children.’ The running was supposed to be too much strain for your body, and your body would never be the same again.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.

    Wilma Rudolph

  • Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.

    Wilma Rudolph

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